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POUGHKEEPSIE, NY-A series of exhibitions by students of the Vassar College Studio Art Department will be on view through Sunday, May 24, in the James W. Palmer Gallery of Vassar's Main Building. The gallery will be open Mondays to Saturdays from 11am - 6pm, and Sunday from 12 - 6pm. All exhibitions and receptions are free and open to the public.

The first exhibition, from Thursday, April 2 through Wednesday, April 8, features selected work from Vassar's five classes of Basic Drawing, taught by Richard Bosman, Peter Charlap, Laura Newman, and Gina Ruggeri. Each of the 98 students taking Basic Drawing is represented by at least one drawing. Works in the exhibition include drawings of figures, skeletons, architecture, and self-portraits, done in a range of media from charcoal and ink to collage.

The second in the series will be an exhibition of works from Judith Linn's Photography I and II courses, on view from Friday, April 10 through Wednesday, April 15. Photography I focuses on an investigation of the visual language of black and white photography, while Photography II explores the development of an individual photographic language. An opening reception will be held on Friday, April 10, from 6-7pm.

The third exhibition, on view from Thursday April 16, through Wednesday April 21, will present the work of students from Peter Charlap's Painting I course, that teaches basic painting skills through a sequence of specific problems involving landscape, still life, and the figure. The opening reception will be on Thursday April 16, from 6:30-7:30pm.

Printmaking will be the focus of the fourth exhibition, on view from Wednesday April 21 through Monday April 27. Taught by Richard Bosman, the course explores a variety of printmaking techniques. The opening reception will be on Wednesday, April 21, from 5-6pm.

The Painting 2 exhibition, on view from Monday, April 27 through Sunday, May 3, will present work exploring a wide range of conceptual and formal approaches to painting. Taught by Laura Newman, this course investigates painting through a series of assigned open-ended projects. The opening reception will be on Monday April 27, from 5-6pm.

The final exhibition in the series will feature both sculpture and animation works, on view from Wednesday, May 6, through Sunday, May 24. Work from three courses-Sculpture 1, 2 and the Computer Animation: Art, Science and Criticism-will be shown in a variety of media. Sculpture I, is taught by Tyler Rowland; Sculpture II is taught by Rowland and Harry Roseman; and the animation course is taught by Tom Ellman and Roseman of Media Studies and Art. The opening reception for this last exhibition in the spring 2009 series will be on Wednesday, May 6, from 5-6pm.

ABOUT THE JAMES W. PALMER III GALLERY
Situated between the North Atrium and the Retreat cafeteria, the James W. Palmer III Gallery is at the heart of the College Center. Constructed in 1996, the gallery was named and endowed by the Palmer family in 2000 in memory of their son James, a member of the class of 1990. Serving as an exhibition space for artwork created within and beyond the Vassar community, the gallery displays art of diverse mediums, themes, and origins.

Individuals with disabilities requiring accommodations at Vassar should contact the Office of Campus Activities at (845) 437-5370. Without sufficient notice, appropriate space and/or assistance may not be available. Directions to the Vassar campus are available at www.vassar.edu/directions.

Vassar College is a highly selective, coeducational, independent, residential liberal arts college founded in 1861.

This series of programs is offered by the Art Center in collaboration with the Vassar Music Department. The Music Department’s chair, Kathryn Libin, and Eduardo Navega, were instrumental in arranging this series in coordination with Nicole Roylance, the Art Center’s Coordinator of Public Education and Information.

Navega noted that “These programs showcase Vassar’s chamber music program, which includes 12 chamber groups with 35 students participating. Of the 12, five groups are featured during these noon concerts.

Roylance stated the intent of the series is to “offer visitors a break from your workday, offering an interlude to stroll through the galleries while listening to a selection of chamber music.”

During April, visitors to the Art Center will be able to see recently reinstalled works from the permanent collection in the Twentieth Century Galleries, including Mark Rothko’s No. 1 (No. 18, 1948) and Jackson Pollock’s Number 10, 1950, upon their return from a ten month, five-museum tour of Japan. Also on view in the Prints and Drawings Gallery, through Sunday, April 26, is Faith and Fantasy in Outsider Art: Selections from the Permanent Collection. This exhibition, curated by Mary Kay Lombino, the Emily Hargroves Fisher '57 and Richard B. Fisher Curator, was termed a “marvelously endearing show” by New York Times art critic Benjamin Genocchio.

NOTES ON ART: NOONTIME CONCERTS AT THE ART CENTER SCHEDULE
On Wednesday, April 8, Gershwin’s “Lullaby for String Quartet,” will be performed by violinists Jessica Kaplan and Andrew Hoy, violist Serena Wong, and cellist David Wojciechovski. In addition, Dvorak’s “Terzetto for Two Violins and Viola” will be performed by violinists Emily Pantel and Sophie Blum, and violist Serena Wong.

The spring 2009 “Notes on Art: Noontime Concerts at the Art Center” series will conclude on Wednesday, April 29, with Ravel’s String Quartet performed by violinist Sebastian Weinberg and Brittany Kaplan, violist Mary E. Alexander, and cellist Jacob St. John.

ABOUT THE FRANCES LEHMAN LOEB ART CENTER
The Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center was founded in 1864 as the Vassar College Art Gallery. The current 36,400-square-foot facility, designed by Cesar Pelli and named in honor of the new building's primary donor, opened in 1993. The Lehman Loeb Art Center's collections chart the history of art from antiquity to the present and comprise almost 18,000 works, including paintings, sculptures, drawings, prints, photographs, and glass and ceramic wares. Notable holdings include the Warburg Collection of Old Master prints, an important group of Hudson River School paintings given by Matthew Vassar at the college's inception, and a wide range of works by major European and American 20th- century painters. Vassar was the first U.S. college founded with a permanent art collection and gallery, and at any given time, the Permanent Collection Galleries of the Art Center feature approximately 350 works from Vassar's extensive collections.

Admission to the Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center is free. The art center is open to the public Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, 10:00 am–5:00 pm; Thursday, 10:00 am–9:00 pm; and Sunday, 1:00–5:00 pm. Located at the entrance to the historic Vassar College campus, the Art Center can be reached within minutes from other Mid-Hudson cultural attractions, such as Dia:Beacon, the Franklin Roosevelt and Eleanor Roosevelt national historic sites and homes, and the Vanderbilt mansion. The Art Center is wheelchair accessible. For more information, the public may call (845) 437-5632 or visit fllac.vassar.edu.

Vassar College is a highly selective, coeducational, independent, residential liberal arts college founded in 1861.